A soccer goal is a rectangle into which a soccer ball is kicked in order to score in the game of soccer. A typical goal is framed by two vertical posts joined by a horizontal top post and enclosed by a net attached to the posts and drawn back behind them so as to contain any ball struck into the goal. Such soccer goals are well known and are in common use for regulation games and practice exercises.
There are, however, several problems associated with using a regulation soccer goal for certain applications. Such applications that raise problems for a traditional soccer goal include short field soccer games, practice exercises, and the need for portable or removable soccer goals in fields designed for multiple use.
In order to conserve space, a "short field" version of soccer has emerged for recreational and club play. Using a short field, fewer players and sometimes no goalie, a 3-person team ("3v3") or a 4-person, 5, 6, 7, 8 or other "short-handed" teams may be fielded.
Because space in the short field game is at a premium and, when played without a goalie, there is no need for a goalie to stand within the goal, it would be desirable to foreshorten the area within the goal enclosed by the net. Because the players in the short field game are running at full speed in a relatively small area, it would be desirable to have a goal that is strong, stable, but also safe--among the safety concerns would be the elimination of sharp edges and protruding objects such as bolts, nuts and other fasteners.
Practice exercises and drills for soccer include many versions of taking a shot on goal. A hard, accurate kick with an eye towards taking a follow-up shot if an initial shot is deflected, rebounded or blocked out of the goal is desirable. To maximize the efficiency of practice drills, it would be desirable for a player to be able to strike a ball into a soccer goal that simulates a traditional soccer goal but which will rebound the ball so that a player may take a series of rapid fire shots on goal, and/or take a power shot on goal and immediately follow through with a rebounding shot after the first shot is deflected back out of goal. Such practice objectives will also be served by a compact goal so that several such goals may be setup within the limited space of a practice field.
Finally, although there remain fields dedicated to playing soccer in which heavy, semi-permanently installed traditional soccer goals may be affixed, many soccer games are played in less permanent surroundings. Where space is at a premium, a practice soccer goal, a short field game soccer goal, or even a very large number of weekend tournament or club sport goals must be moved, positioned, setup, used and then disassembled and removed with relative ease. It would be desirable, therefore, to have a stable soccer goal that is also light weight, portable and relatively easy to setup and remove. Likewise, because soccer is practiced everywhere, but because an empty field, street, driveway or even a solid wall afford little in the way of practicing a kick on goal, a stable and portable soccer goal would be desirable.
To summarize, it would be highly desirable in short field soccer, practice exercises, and soccer played in multiple use areas to have a soccer goal that is safe, stable, light weight, portable, easy to setup and remove, and that also returns the ball to the kicker after the ball is struck into the net.
Examples of previous work done in providing a soccer practice goal, or a portable training goal are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,083,561 of Daffer for a soccer practice net; 4,116,446 of Thompson for a game net support apparatus; 4,127,272 of Pennell for a portable soccer goal; 4,258,923 of Senoh for a football goal structure; 4,407,507 of Caruso for a portable soccer goal; 5,048,844 of Haseltine for a portable rebounding soccer training goal; and 5,080,375 of Moosavi for an adjustable soccer goal.
None of the prior art of which the applicant is aware fully solves the problem of providing a safe, stable, light weight, portable, easy to setup and remove soccer goal that also returns the ball to the kicker after the ball is struck into the net. It is the object of this invention to answer those needs.